SGIP in Macedonia signs new agreement with Sinohydro to improve working conditions at the largest infrastructure project in the country

12 April 2016 12:45

On the 12th of November 2015 the construction union SGIP in Macedonia
signed an Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese multinational
Sinohydro, Granit AD Skopje, Ilinden AD Struga, Transmet Ltd. Skopje,
GIM AD Skopje and Victoria Invest from Albania, committing to implement
measures on health and safety at work, as well as labour related issues
in accordance with the labour regulations of the Republic of Macedonia.

In future, until the completion of the project in 2018, the cooperation
between the contractors and the union SGIP will be extended,
particularly in the area of compliance with health and safety measures.
The agreement should serve as a positive example for contractors who
have works in infrastructure projects in Macedonia.

Since 2010, the SGIP is focusing since 2010 on organising workers in
infrastructure projects, with a special focus on workers in the
“Pan-European Corridor Projects”. Since 2012, it started with activities
related to the Corridor 8 (Highway section Kicevo – Ohrid and
Miladinovci – Stip financed by the Exim Bank of China with 581 million
Euro), currently the biggest infrastructure project in the country, and
undertook various activities in outreaching to the workers, the main
contractor Synohydro, sub-contractors as well as the ministry for
transport and communication. The union also launched several organising
campaigns focusing on safe work in road building and workers organising
into the union fold.

The Trade Union of Construction, Civil Engineering and Projection of
Macedonia, SGIP is an active member of the South East Europe Union
network on infrastructure projects since 2010 and hosted the SEE Network
seminar in 2014 that analysed CBAs signed with MNCs, including Chinese
MNCs, in other parts of the world.

This achievement will not only give an additional stimulus to the work
of SGIP, but also other Unions in South East Europe who are aiming to
organise workers and improve working conditions in infrastructure
projects and Multinational corporations, particularly in Chinese
companies.